Ben Swims With Belugas!

How to define sub-culture has been a major question of mine over the past couple of years. This may sound like a bizarre subject to contemplate on a regular basis but for me it's consuming because varying degrees of "different" or "unusual" define everyone's life.

If we say that someone or something is sub-cultural it usually implies that they are standing against societal norms or social morays. A rebellion of sorts.

I've come to think of it a little differently. While the term sub-culture definitely characterizes people whose membership to a certain group places them outside of the boundaries of normal, it's also true that we all behave in ways and participate in activities that don't conform to the rigid standards of how our society expects us to act. 

From this understanding, which may not be your personal definition of the term, I go about investigating Winnipeg looking for people and events that venture away from their comfort zones, often from society's comfort zones, and tread in beluga-infested waters. 

This week, I had the amazing opportunity to report for Culture Days. I went to some very cool events and hung out with some very cool people, many of whom were branching out of their comfort zones and expressing themselves in new ways. 

Ben Chafe was one of these very cool people. For Nuit Blanche, the all night events that takes place on the Saturday of Culture Days, Ben showcased his video project Leise at Union Sound Hall. Leise can be described as a series of projections against a wall of various media images. Ben had a bunch of his friends dance in front of the images creating live performance art. His own conception of the work outlines it's quirkiness best: 

"It tells a story from darkness to lightness, back to this spooky glow... Basically this sort of Mickey Mouse meets Lord Voldemort meets your stupid six year old cousin. And they all do like, meth or something." 

Union Sound Hall was one of the busiest Nuit Blanche venues this year. As someone just beginning to showcase their work publicly, Ben was very nervous to be part of an event with so many other experienced artists.

"The other artists who submitted their videos are friends of mine and are super talented, it was a big deal to even be on a loop with their names attached. It was nice to have our families there and have everyone embrace it for what this little video was. My friends involved in the video itself are really brave for having their image shown in a big room like that, there was a lot of love in the air."

Ben shares that he would be very excited to be part of Culture Days and Nuit Blanche next year, he feels Winnipeg is a very interesting place to be for a young artist. 

"I would be more than keen to be apart of something again next year. Winnipeg undoubtedly loves art and loves to party, it's a romantic night where the two really come together and the city gets to celebrate it as a family."

 Ben and his very cool work during the year's Culture Days demonstrate the positive impact of trying new things that scare us. For Ben, dabbling with sub-culture altered his understanding of his artistic capabilities and pushed him out of his comfort zone.